Wed 2 Jan 2008
January
UK timber-frame designer and manufacturer Prestoplan is set to work on Essence, Linden Homes' flagship Bristol development in a £1 million contract.The firm will supply timber-frame units for the 129 one-, two- and three-bedroom flats which will make up the new scheme on Cheltenham Road, Montpelier. The three-, four- and six-storey blocks will be built on the brownfield site of a former car dealership, while the firm is intending to refurbish the two existing buildings already on site.
"Prestoplan has played a central role in helping develop the concept for our flagship project," said Nigel Palmer, Linden Homes Western's director and general manager. "Here, we're incorporating the original foundations and ground floor slab of a former Audi dealership building, so it's crucial that we use timber frame to lighten the load on the existing foundations." The estimated completion date of the project is 2009.
www.prestoplan.co.uk
Now working with almost 200 property developers, Classic Folios, the UK's leading new homes handover manual provider, has appointed Bryony Light as Marketing Manager.
Light, who brings a wealth of marketing experience to the role, spent six years in category management before taking on the job of marketing manager in an IT firm two years ago.
Light will be overseeing the launch of a new product in January: the company's exclusive eco solution for those housebuilders who are working towards a high compliance rating within the Code for Sustainable Homes. The EcoFolio is a 'green' homeowners package for property developers committed to the challenging issues of customer care and sustainability. Manufactured using environmentally aware methods, this new product includes a specially commissioned Home User Guide, which is a requirement of the Ecohomes standard.
www.classicfolios.com
Chislehurst-based estate agency Jdm has become the first agency in its locality to be awarded a CarbonNeutral business status.
This was calculated using the CarbonNeutral Company's processes to calculate the firm's carbon footprint, then employing a combination of internal and external measures to reduce it.
"It's really encouraging to see a local estate agent putting in the time and effort required to go carbon neutral," said Jonathan Shopley, executive director of The CarbonNeutral Company. "We hope the leadership Jdm has shown in this area will prompt other businesses to take action to calculate and then reduce their own carbon footprints."
"We consider ourselves fortunate to operate in an area which offers a good quality of life in picturesque surroundings," added Jonathon de Maid, the firm's director. "As a business, we are keen to play our part in protecting and retaining the area's appeal.
"We know there's more that can and will be done throughout the industry to combat climate change, but we're pleased to be taking positive steps and leading the way in reducing the environmental impact of our business."
www.jdmonline.com
Affordable housing developer Metropolitan Home Ownership (MHO) has kitted out its new apartments at Stanmore in Hertfordshire with interiors from Surrey-based firm Designs For All Occasions (DFAO).
MHO, part of the Metropolitan Housing Trust, aims to bring social housing to the market via flexible rental, shared ownership and outright purchase schemes. Employing a professional interior design service has enabled the group to better compete with conventional developers such as Barratt Homes, says Julie Shail, MHO's deputy sales manager.
"We needed a really stunning show unit to illustrate just how great these future homes could look to our first-time buyer and key worker customers. We used a professional design team from DFAO to create a statement - the result was stylish, functional and, above all, attainable. Three quarters of the 44 apartments were reserved on launch day.
"In our early years, we used to kit out our show units ourselves, but found that the cost and accumulated furniture that went out of fashion very quickly made the practice untenable. We have no doubts that our investment in professional interior design has paid back several times over - the result here at Stanmore is testament to that fact."
www.dfao.co.uk
North and east London estate agency Currell Residential has opened a new office in the West End at 98 Cleveland Street.
The firm specialises in selling properties in Clerkenwell, Islington, Hackney, Victoria Park, and will now be venturing into the Bloomsbury, Marylebone, Regents Park, Kings Cross and Fitzrovia markets. Nick Sefton, former manager of Cleveland Estate Agents in Bloomsbury, will manage the new office.
The company was established in 1990 in Islington, and opened one of the first estate agencies on Kingsland Road, Hackney, in 2004. A family-run company, it was founded by Chris and Anne Currell, who are still in place as the firm's joint managing directors.
"This new office opening has been a natural progression for us, extending from our successful Clerkenwell office into Central and West London," Anne Currell told the press. "The opening of the new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras is no coincidence to our positioning in this location - we see huge potential for growth as this area becomes established as the gateway to Europe. We are confident that despite the current period of uncertainty, London will remain a global business hub, and demand for Central London residences will continue."
www.currell.com
Marketing suite supplier Useful Structures has flown its project manager Tim Chambers out to India to help local people to build houses with money raised for international housing charity Habitat for Humanity by the firm.
During his time in India, Chambers worked on building three houses in a village outside Bangalore
Chambers, who has raised £1,600 through company donations, supplier sponsorship and local fundraising, told Show House: "When you buy a building from us, a share of the profit is donated to Habitat for Humanity. The cost of building an entire house is just £1,243, but the impact it has on these peoples' lives is phenomenal.
"The experience was tremendously fulfilling, and I will definitely be going back there again."
Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has built over 250,000 houses in partnership with people in need of simple and decent housing worldwide.
www.useful-structures.
First published in Show House Magazine January 2008.
The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy but some information contained within this article may have changed since it was first published.
Posted by Show House
in Designs For All Occasions, Supplier News, Useful Structures on Wed 2 Jan 2008
Have your say and comment on this article